Entertainment

Why Does This NBA Player Have Emoji Tattoos?

Atlanta Hawks power forward Mike Scott (32) has the ball stripped away by Indiana Pacers power forward Luis Scola (4) as he drives to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014, in Atlanta. Scott also has emoji tattoos.

You might be renowned among friends for always having the perfect emoji for any text-messaging situation — but we guaranteed your emoji game isn't as strong as Mike Scott's.

Scott plays for the Atlanta Hawks. He's no NBA superstar, averaging under 8 points per game after being picked in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. But Scott's been the talk of this year's playoffs, at least among digitally-minded fans, thanks to his unusual tattoos — rendered in emoji.

Given that the Hawks aren't exactly mainstays of national TV during the regular season, many of us are meeting Scotti's emoji ink for the first time this week. For stretches during Tuesday night's Hawks game against the Indiana Pacers, Scott's emoji tattoos seemed a hotter topic among fans and media on Twitter than the actual game did.

Many NBA players are renowned for their elaborate body ink. But Scott looks to be the first to get emoji'd up, as most readily evidenced by the smattering of digital cartoon faces adorning his right shoulder. Here's a look:

Miami Heat center Chris Bosh (1) is defended by Atlanta Hawks power forward Mike Scott (32) in the fourth period in an NBA basketball game in Atlanta, Monday, Jan. 20, 2014.

Image: Todd Kirkland/Associated Press

And here's a closer look:

Atlanta Hawks forward Mike Scott (32) throws the ball in bounds against the Toronto Raptors in the first half of their NBA basketball game Tuesday, March 18, 2014, in Atlanta.

Image: David Tulis/Associated Press

As you'll notice, Scott seems to be getting most of his inspiration from fairly mainstream emojis that can be found among your emoji-enabled iPhone keyboard's first few pages. There's this guy, for example:

And this one:

But wait! On the underside of Scott's left wrist, you can see a more obscure emoji:

Tattoos decorate the arm of Atlanta Hawks forward Mike Scott as he stands for the National Anthem before an NBA basketball game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Friday, April 4, 2014, in Atlanta.

Image: David Goldman/Associated Press

If you're scoring at home, that's this one:

All of which brings us back to our original question: why does an NBA player have emoji tattoos?

We've reached out to both the Hawks and Scott to try to learn more, but have yet to hear back. This has not, however, stopped us from doing a bit of sleuthing.

Fact 1:

Mike Scott just really likes emojis. His Twitter feed is littered with them, and so is his Instagram account. Neither social profile shows him getting the ink done, but he does sometimes post photo-sized emojis to express himself on Instagram.

Worth noting: Instagram is a photo-sharing platform that Scott co-opted to post a text-based message, but then he used images as stand-ins for text, brining the social media-ception back full circle. We're not even sure Neil deGrasse Tyson can explain that one.

Fact 2:

Mike Scott has acknowledged his emoji tattoos on Twitter — using emojis, no less — even though he has not offered a full backstory:

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